Mr. Russel Carlson

Deputy Adjutant General, Georgia Department of Defense

For nearly ten years, Russel Carlson has been an active participant in public policy debates and political campaigns across the Southeastern United States. He got his start assisting then-Congressman Roger Wicker (MS) in both his North Mississippi congressional district and in Washington, D.C. Mr. Carlson also served as a grassroots coordinator in Congressman Geoff Davis’ (KY) first bid for office in 2002. Since those early efforts, Mr. Carlson has maintained relationships with Chiefs of Staff and Senior Advisors in several key senate and congressional offices in our nation’s Capital.

Most recently, Mr. Carlson served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Campaign Advisor to Georgia’s Lt. Governor. There, he was a core member of all legislative, budgetary, communications and political strategy teams for the Lt. Governor. During his five years in this position, he interacted daily with the Governor’s Office, each Chamber’s senior leadership and virtually every department and agency across state government. In 2008, Mr. Carlson was a part of a working group that helped author Georgia’s first Statewide Water Management plan and he was frequently called upon to shepherd much of the Lt. Governor’s most sensitive and demanding policy initiatives through the General Assembly.

In addition to his legislative responsibilities, Mr. Carlson served as the External Affairs Officer for the Lt. Governor. This role placed him as the lead point of contact for elected officials and community leaders in every corner of Georgia’s 159 counties, assisting them with various permitting and budget needs as well as general facilitation and consultation with all state agencies.

A veteran of several local, state and federal political campaigns, Mr. Carlson has extensive experience in strategic messaging, from the inception and development of an idea through the grassroots advocacy, media planning and fundraising necessary to communicate that message effectively.

Mr. Carlson is a native of Batesville, MS and graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. He is married to the former Anne-Marie Jones of Charlotte, NC and together they have two children: Jake and Eloise. He is active in the Atlanta community having volunteered for the Ronald McDonald House, Cathedral of St. Philip and the Church of the Holy Comforter. In 2011, Mr. Carlson was appointed to the Georgia Education Foundation by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.